


The Bellboy

by StereoChromatic



Category: Hilda (Cartoon), Peanuts
Genre: Crossover, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Magic, more characters will appear later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28636905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StereoChromatic/pseuds/StereoChromatic
Summary: Linus falls out of bed, and winds up at a place he could never have imagined. If only he knew how to get home...
Kudos: 4





	1. The Monster Under the Bed

Linus laid flat on his bed, exhausted. He’d had a tiring day, what with the school test that they’d done that day, as well as Snoopy constantly trying to steal his blanket, not to mention his sister Lucy, who was being especially crabby. It had barely turned 8pm when it got dark outside. Linus had no desire to get up to turn the light on, or to change into his pyjamas for that matter. He barely needed to tuck himself in, his need for sleep evident from the fact that his eyelids struggled to stay open. 

With a sigh, he gave up trying to stay awake, and closed his eyes, hands clutched tightly around his security blanket. Over the past couple of days, he’d been having nightmares (again, partly because of Lucy), and the blanket was definitely helping him manage his nightmares, if not eliminating them completely.

Things were peaceful up until about 10pm, when the boy began to roll around in his sleep. Tossing his arms from end to end like a ship in a storm, Linus was evidently having a rough time. Clearly uncomfortable, he reached lazily over the edge to grab his blanket, rolling off the side of his bed and landing with a thud. Remarkably, it didn’t wake him up. Moreover, it seemed to have shaken whatever ill was clouding his dreams, as he now dozed happily on the rough carpeted floor.

Lucy would speak of monsters under his bed on a daily basis, not that it fazed him, and he’d laughed off any suggestions that it would prise him from the bed and eat him. By and large, his nightmares weren’t about those kind of monsters, but, unbeknownst to him, a small, shadowy figure emerged with a flash of purple from under his bed and watched the scene in front of it. It had heard the loud thud from whatever part the house it was inhabiting, and it began keenly investigating the cause of such a commotion. The creature saw a large blue blanket, rolled up in a heap, and he decided to take it with him. 

As the creature pulled, it became confused. ‘This blanket is unusually heavy.’ It thought, as it dragged the blanket slowly under the bed with a series of heaves. Of course, the reason the blanket was heavy was because Linus was still sleeping on it, and by complete accident, being dragged by the creature along with his blanket!

The unnamed creature reached the wall, and disappeared into the invisible space from whence it came, taking Linus and his blanket with it. Linus had somehow rolled off his blanket while in between both spaces, and he began plummeting through the nowhere space. 

The rush of gravity around him forced Linus to wake up, and he opened his eyes just as he was ejected from nowhere space onto a small hill, where he rolled to the bottom.

Linus sat up groggily, dizzy from the rolling.

“Ugh.” Linus groaned as he came to his senses and looked around him. It was dark, and sort of cold, but not unbearable. The surrounding landscape of rocks, hills and forests looked wholly unfamiliar to him, unlike any place he’d ever seen. Linus took a look behind him. In the distance there was a beige city wall, and what appeared to be a bell tower. Linus couldn’t quite tell just by looking at it, but the wall was a few hundred meters away.

“Where am I?” Linus asked himself, the silent ambience reflecting the fallacy of such a question. He walked for a short time, before stopping behind a nearby rock. Peering over the edge, he watched two trolls in the distance fighting over a scrap of food.

“What are they?” Linus gawked in amazement. It looked like the lion fights and deer rucks that he’d seen on those nature programmes, only here he was watching it in person. The trolls in front of him continued to fight, throwing punches at each other with no concern for the trees around them. 

“Is this even real? Am I dreaming?” Linus asked himself, pinching his arm to find out that he was in fact, fully awake. He turned round behind him, and scanned the surrounding area he’d just come from.

“Then how did I get here? I should be in bed!” Linus realised with a light panic in his voice. He turned round again, as the trolls stopped to look in Linus’ direction, having heard his small outburst. Linus hid behind the rock, frightened. Those trolls looked quite angry earlier, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. 

The continuous stomp of trolls’ feet rumbled ever louder, until the trolls were literally standing above him. Fortunately, the trolls hadn’t noticed Linus was cowering behind the rock, so they left, going about their separate ways. Linus worked up the courage to peer over the top of the rock again, his heart rate only just now beginning to creep back down again. Not too far away was the wall and its bell tower, and Linus thought that would the best place to head to.

“Well, I’m certainly not going to be back home anytime soon.” Linus muttered under his breath, as he scanned the area for any more trolls, or other animals that might be inclined to eat him. He pressed on, keeping the wall in sight until he was interrupted by a voice from above.

“You there, what are you doing outside the wall at this hour?” a gruff voice called out. Linus looked up. A man, looking thirty-something years old, with dark hair and a beard, and wearing a yellow overcoat, was sitting on top of the wall, eating a cucumber sandwich.

“Uh, I think I’m lost?” Linus replied.

“No kidding.” The man replied. “Where are your parents?”

“At home, but that might be a long way from here.” Linus explained.

“What do you mean, might be?” the man asked. “Either it is or it isn’t.” 

“It’s hard to explain. Can we talk about this somewhere else? It’s cold out here.” Linus shivered.

“I’ll get the door. Can’t have you fending for your life among the trolls now, would we?” The man leaned over, before heading down a staircase, to a door at the foot of the bell tower, where he opened the door to let Linus in. 

“Come in.” The man smiled warmly. Linus followed in after him and sat down on a wooden chair, while the man made some hot cocoa.

“So, what’s your name, son?” he asked.

“My name is Linus.” 

“Linus, that’s an unfamiliar name. My name is Jensen, though everyone round here calls me the Bellkeeper. It’s what I do.”

“Thank you, for letting me in.” Linus replied. There was a brief pause, before the Bellkeeper returned with two cups of cocoa topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. 

“So, how did you find yourself so far outside the wall?” the Bellkeeper asked, handing Linus a mug.

“I’m not sure.” Linus replied. “I was asleep in my bed, then next thing I know, I’m falling through something and rolling down a hill.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that, but I know a few people who might be able to help you.” The Bellkeeper suggested. “Where are you from anyway?”

“I live in a small town in America, you probably haven’t heard of it.”

“America? Isn’t that the huge landmass you have to cross a whole ocean to get to?”

“I assume. I’m not really sure where this place is in relation to it.” Linus replied. 

“Ah of course. You wouldn’t know much about this place, provided your story is true.” The Bellkeeper understood, taking a sip of cocoa. “Within these walls, is the city of Trolberg. Most of the people I know live here. The walls keep the trolls out, you see.”

“I can imagine that’d be quite scary.” Linus reasoned.

“You ever seen a troll before, Linus?” the Bellkeeper asked.

“About 5 minutes ago.” Linus admitted, taking another sip of cocoa.

“You’re not too scared, I hope?” 

“Not right now, but I’m sure it’ll get easier the more I learn about this place.”

“There’s a library not too far away that I can point you to in the morning. Right now, you should probably get to bed, you look like you need some sleep.”

“Where would I sleep?” Linus asked, gesturing to the empty space around the table. 

“You can sleep in my bed. I won’t be using it. I work nights.” The bell keeper offered.

“Okay.” Linus yawned, drinking the last of his cocoa and stretching his arms out. 

“It’s just by the side door, on your right.” The Bellkeeper told him. 

“Thank you.” Linus got up and headed in that direction, as the bellkeeper left and returned to his post, up on the wall. Linus tucked himself into to bed, and soon fell asleep, staying that way for the rest of the night.


	2. The Adventurers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After phoning his parents, Linus heads to the Library to look for answers, but instead makes some new friends.

The next morning, Linus woke up feeling refreshed and rested, even if still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the events of the previous night. The Bellkeeper’s cabin was cosy, if a bit small, and Linus took a moment to appreciate the place before he got up. Linus looked for the Bellkeeper, but he wasn’t downstairs. Linus climbed up the steps of the bell tower and found the Bellkeeper perched on the wall, in his usual spot.

“Mornin’” The Bellkeeper waved, holding a sandwich in his other hand.

“Have you been up here all night?” Linus asked.

“Most of it.” The Bellkeeper replied. “Come here.” He beckoned Linus towards him, and pointed out towards the surrounding landscape.

“You see there, that’s the wilderness you just came from.” The Bellkeeper told him.

“Where are the trolls?” Linus asked, straining his eyes to see, and spotting nothing but rocks.

“Ah, well.” The Bell Keeper pointed down towards a specific tree, with an oddly shaped rock next to it. “The Trolls you saw last night, they turn to stone during the daytime, you see. That’s why there isn’t a day-watch.”

“I see.” Linus replied, before turning round to look about the city on the other side of the wall. The buildings were spread out far and wide, with landmarks scattered between quaint houses and green spaces. The Huldrawood was somewhere off in the distance, and Linus looked a bit confused, as he tried to find the library.

“The library is that fancy building in the middle there, you can’t miss it, though it might be worth contacting you parents first. They’ll probably be looking everywhere for you when they see you’re not in bed.” The Bellkeeper advised. 

“Of course! How could I forget!? Mom will be worrying herself sick… Do you have a phone?” 

“Kind of, mine goes directly to the other bell towers, and the Safety Patrol HQ, it won’t do long distance calls though. There are plenty of payphones in the city though. Here’s some loose change. That should be enough to get them working.” The Bellkeeper explained, fishing his wallet out of his pocket, and handing Linus a few coins. 

“Thank you, Jensen.” Linus replied, before heading back towards the stairs. 

“I left a sandwich on the table. I thought you might be hungry.” The Bellkeeper called out, as Linus skipped down the stairs. Linus took his advice and grabbed the sandwich on the way out. As he walked, aiming for the middle of town, he ate his sandwich, and found out it was filled with cucumber. 

Happily munching it down, he continued on until he reached the suburbs. The houses along here were all unique in their own way, in many different colours, though more tightly packed together, unlike the houses back home. Linus kept an eye out for any payphones, and before long, he found one. He put as much change as was needed and began to dial the number for his house.

Linus was left to wait for a long time as the dial tone played. Initially confused, Linus eventually realised that it was probably still night where they were, and they hadn’t heard the phone. 

“The person you are trying to ring is not here right now. Please leave a message after the beep.” 

*BEEP* “Mom? Dad? It’s Linus. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m somewhere a long way from home. I’m safe and well, and I’m going to try and find a way back home. Apparently I’m in a place called Trolberg, on the other side of the ocean. Please don’t do anything drastic. Like I said, I’m safe. It may take a while, but I will get back to you, I promise. Love you Mom, bye.” *Clack* 

Linus put the phone back on the hook and left. The library couldn’t be too far by now, especially now he was in the city proper. A look to his left proved him right, as he climbed up the steps leading up to the library. The building looked opulent, it’s neoclassical architecture more resembling a senate building than a public resource, but Linus shrugged his shoulders and headed inside. After all, it wasn’t the weirdest thing he’d seen in the past 24 hours.

The Library was dark and quiet, filled to the brim with books. A group of children were huddled on one of the tables, studying. ‘Probably homework.’ Linus thought, as he stood at the front desk and waited for the librarian.

After what felt like an eternity, the Librarian rushed over to the desk, wheeling about on her ladder until she was ready to hear him.

“Good morning.” The librarian spoke in a thick accent. “I take it you’re looking for a specific book?”

“Yes.” Linus answered. “Do you have any books on geography?”

“We do. They should be over there, row 14, covering everything from rock formations and weather up to rivers and seas. Did you have anything in mind?”

“Something with a map.” Linus replied.

“Are you perchance, lost?” the librarian asked.

“What made you say that?” Linus asked. “But yes, I am, sort of.”

“A great many things.” The librarian replied mysteriously. “Atlases should be on the middle shelf.”

“Thank you.” Linus replied, quietly following her instructions, and grabbing a large, heavy atlas from the centre of the middle shelf. He clumsily heaved it to the table, and sat two seats from the trio of kids. One of them, a boy, was slumped in his chair, bored, and briefly turned his attention away as Linus studied the map with a puzzled expression. America was on the map alright, but finding Trolberg in amongst everywhere else was proving to be quite a challenge. 

“Need any help?” 

“I’m trying to work out where I am.” Linus replied.

“Oh, that’s easy. Allow me.” He offered. Linus handed the book to him and he flicked over to a more detailed page where Trolberg was highlighted, pointing it out to Linus.  
“There.”

“Thank you…”

“David. My name’s David. What’s your name?”

“Linus. I’m not from here.” he replied.

“Then where are you from?” David asked. Linus took the book back and flicked back to the page he was reading.

“Here.” Linus pointed at roughly the part of America where he lived.

“Wow. That’s halfway across the world!” David exclaimed, a little excited.

“David, keep it down! We’re in a library!” one of his friends hushed him.

“Sorry, Frida.” David apologised, before turning to Linus again. “So, how did you get here?”

“I’m not sure. I was in bed last night and then at some point I fell through somewhere and came out rolling down a hill outside the wall.” Linus replied.

This caught the other two’s attention.

“Hilda, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” David asked her.

“I think I might.” Hilda replied. “Could I ask you something?”

“Yes?” Linus replied.

“Last night, did you see what you were falling through? Was it this strange purple empty space that never seems to end?” Hilda asked.

“I didn’t really catch a good glimpse of it. I had my eyes closed for most of it, but I did see a flash of purple as I got chucked out.” Linus answered.

“Hmm. Interesting.” Hilda thought aloud, holding her chin.

“I take it you think Linus did go through nowhere space?” David asked her.

“It sounds like he did. But how would the Nisse have pulled him in to Nowhere Space in the first place?”

“Not to mention why. Nisse aren’t known to be malicious, at least not according to Tontu.” David added.

“What’s a Nisse?” Linus asked, confused.

Hilda paused. “Nisses are house spirits, effectively. There’s usually one per house, and they live in an am-al-ala…

“Amalgamation.” Frida helpfully interjected.

“Am-al-gamation of the unused space in your house. So behind the sofa, in cracks in the walls, that sort of thing.” Hilda continued.

“Under the bed?” Linus asked.

“Maybe. Nisse like to help themselves to things discarded on the floor.” Hilda added.

“Oh. Come to think of it, I did have my blanket with me last night, and it’s gone now, and I think I might have fallen out of bed, too.” Linus thought hard, trying to recall last night’s events. “I was having a nightmare.”

“I see.” David replied, remembering his ordeal with the marra. he considered mentioning them, but decided against it.

“So the Nisse took your blanket, and yourself with it, and dropped you here?” Hilda summarised.

“More or less. I’m pretty much stuck here now, until I can find a way back.” Linus sighed.

“Did you have to survive the whole night out in the wilderness?” Frida asked.

“Well, no. a Bellkeeper took me in and gave me a place to sleep.” Linus gave a light smile.

“That was nice of him.” Frida replied.

“I’m sure we can think of some way to help you.” Hilda offered.

“That might be difficult.” Linus warned. “I’ve been trying to work that out for the past few hours.”

“Come on, we’ll ask Tontu and see if he knows anything.” Hilda stood up, and headed for the exit, gesturing for everyone to follow. Linus put the atlas back on the shelf and then left too, catching up to everyone as they walked.

Linus took in the sights as the four of them made it to the street where Hilda lived.

“It’s nice here, don’t you think?” Frida spoke, having noticed Linus’ expression.

“It’s a lot to take in. there’s so much about this place I still don’t know. Yesterday I didn’t even know trolls existed.” Linus responded. The group assembled in front of the door, while Hilda opened it.

“Hilda! You’re home early.” Her mum called out from the living room.

“We were at the library, but then we made a new friend.” Hilda explained.

“Oh okay. And then what happened?” her mum asked, as Hilda and the others entered the room.

“Well, he told us about how he managed to fall through the Nisse space, so I promised to help him.”

“And this person is?” Hilda’s mum turned round to face them. “Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Johanna.” 

“I’m Linus.” 

“I can see you’ve met my daughter, Hilda.” Johanna began. “This is our pet deerfox, Twig, and I’m sure Hilda can explain the rest.” She pointed to the sofa, as Twig popped his head up to look at everyone, before curling up for a nap.

Hilda nodded, as she showed everyone in to her room. She and Frida sat on the bed, while David and Linus were sat on the floor opposite.

“Who are we waiting for?” Linus asked.

“Tontu should be here any moment now.” Hilda answered. A small flash of purple appeared, and out of it came Tontu.

“You called?” Tontu asked, scanning the room. “Oh! You’ve brought somebody new.”

“Is that what a Nisse looks like?” Linus asked.

“Yes, Linus, it is.” Hilda replied.

“You’re not the first to ask that question.” Tontu began. “Now, what is it you called me for?”

“We’d like to ask you a few questions about nowhere space.”

“I’m not sure what you’d ask that you don’t already know.” Tontu responded. “Unless you’re doing it for the benefit of your new friend here.”

“Linus turned up in Trolberg out of the blue last night, and we think a Nisse might have pulled him through nowhere space. We thought you might know something about it.” Hilda explained.

“Where are you from, kid?” Tontu asked.

“I don’t know how to say this, but have you heard of a place called America?” Linus replied.

“Can’t say I have. How far away is it?” Tontu asked.

“He showed it to me on a map, it’s this huge landmass you have to cross an entire ocean to get to.” David explained.

“You definitely fell through Nowhere Space, then. Before you ask, I can’t get you back home. If I tried to do that, you’d only get even more lost.” He warned, before retreating back into his space. Linus took it well considering. He wasn’t exactly enthused at being stuck in Trolberg, but he was curious to learn more.

“That’s okay.” Linus replied, feigning a smile. “I’m sure there will be another way to return home. Besides, Trolberg is so much more different than home, and I want to tell my friends as much as I can about it!”

“Indeed!” a small, high pitched voice agreed from atop a shelf.

“Who was that?” Linus asked, eyes darting to each corner of the room. 

“Oh, that’s Alfur. He’s an elf. You’ll need to fill out some forms if you want to see him.” Frida explained. The tiny invisible elf fetched some paper, before hopping down in front of Linus.

“Sign here, here and here.” Alfur waved the tiny sheets of paper in front of him. Linus took a pencil and looked at it closely, signing his name on each piece of paper, and, as if by magic, Alfur was now visible.

“Oh, there you are!” Linus looked at Alfur with surprise. 

“Yes. I spend my time writing about Trolberg, and occasionally whatever adventures Hilda brings me on.”

“Sounds exciting.” Linus replied.

“It usually is.” Alfur agreed. “Even though it can be quite dangerous, sometimes.” 

David nodded uncomfortably in agreement.

“Hilda?” Johanna called out from the other room.

“Yes?” Hilda replied, before Johanna poked her head through the doorway.

“I was wondering, since you have an inset day on Monday, if we could take the Woffington Express as a day out?”

Hilda looked around at her friends uncertainly.

“Don’t worry about us. We’re fine.” Frida assured her.

“Besides, our parents will probably have plans for us too, especially mine.” David added, with a touch of exasperation.

“Okay. That sounds like a good plan.” Hilda accepted.

“Glad to hear it.” Johanna replied. “I’ve just finished making some hot chocolate. Would anyone like some?”

“Yes please!” Everyone replied excitedly.

“I’ve also got Dragon Panic laid out on the table if we get bored.”

“What’s Dragon Panic?” Linus asked.

“Come on. I’ll show you.” Hilda took Linus by the hand and dragged him to the living room, where Johanna had laid out the game and the hot chocolates. The rest of the group joined them and had a great time, with Hilda explaining to Linus how all the pieces moved, and how to play. The game went on for several hours, before Alfur eventually won. Afterwards, the four children were all sat on the sofa relaxing.

“Well, we didn’t find a way home for you, Linus. sorry about that.” Hilda apologised.

“It’s okay. I didn’t think you would. Some problems can’t be solved in a day.” There was a long pause while Hilda thought about what he had said. “I should probably get going. I don’t want to keep the Bellkeeper waiting.”

“Alright. We’ll see you soon.” Frida said, as Linus headed for the door.

“Thanks for your help!” Linus smiled at them “And for the chocolate!” he added, thanking Johanna for her hospitality.

“Goodbye. Don’t get lost out there!”

“I won’t!” Linus replied, as he closed the front door behind him.

Truth be told, knowing where to go was not as easy as he thought, but once he made it back to the library, he was able to retrace his steps and make it back to the bell tower. Standing at the door, he gave it a knock, and was surprised to see the door had been left on the latch.

“I bought you some pyjamas, and some extra clothes. I figured you’d come back, since… well, you’re stuck here. Did you find anything interesting?” The Bellkeeper asked, as he read the evening paper.

“Well, I went to the library and made some new friends, and then we all went to Hilda’s house to ask her Nisse about what happened to me." Linus answered

“So, you’ve met Hilda too?” The Bellkeeper asked. “Bit of an adventurer, she is.”

“I gathered.” Linus replied, making himself a hot chocolate.

“You got any plans for tomorrow, kid?”

“I think I’ll go the library again. There’s a lot of things I’d like to know more about, and I don’t want to have to keep asking questions.”

“Fair enough.” The Bell Keeper replied. “I’m about to start work. You can come up to the wall and watch the trolls if you want, but there’s dinner on the table if you’re hungry.”

“Okay.” Linus replied, as the Bellkeeper began his shift. Linus helped himself to the leftover mashed potato, reheating it in the microwave before eating it. Deciding to go to bed early, he put on his new pyjamas and tucked himself in bed, hoping for a better night’s sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to Comment and Give Feedback! I spent a lot of time trying to come up with good ideas for this, so I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> NB: I will add chapters as and when I complete them.


	3. The Tomes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linus heads to the library once again to learn more about magic and creatures, as well as exploring the town further.

Linus woke up bright and early, and well-rested, the night having apparently gone without incident. Linus got dressed in the clothes the Bellkeeper had bought him: a red t-shirt with a bell logo in the top right corner on the front, and a larger bell outline on the back, as well as some new trousers and underwear. He also brushed his teeth. Jensen hadn’t missed out a single thing, Linus noticed.

Linus walked into the room to see the Bellkeeper sat at the table, eating his dinner.

“You like it?” He asked, pointing at Linus’ new shirt.

“Yeah. I think it suits me pretty nicely.” Linus smiled.

“Me too.” The Bellkeeper agreed. He had made buttered toast for Linus’ breakfast, and he wasted no time in munching it down. Linus sat for a couple of moments, before getting up to leave.

“Are you off, then?” The Bellkeeper asked him. 

“I might as well be. I have a lot of reading to do.” Linus replied.

“See you later.” The Bellkeeper waved him off, as Linus closed the door behind him. Linus was beginning to recognise the surroundings now, and he strode confidently as he passed by the same array of trees and buildings he remembered from the previous day.

Linus arrived at the library a lot quicker than last time, so much so that the librarian had only opened it a few minutes ago, and was waiting at her desk as soon as Linus came in.  
“Hello again.” Linus greeted. 

“What sort of book are you looking for?” she asked.

“Well, I’d like to learn a little bit about, magic.” Linus replied. “Do you know where I can find a book like that?

“That depends.” The Librarian replied. 

“What do you mean?” Linus asked.

“Well, you’re looking for one of two things: Supernatural Magic, which is about things like weather spirits, and ghosts, and magical creatures and such, or there is Practical Magic, which is spells and hexes and other things you may have heard of. As you might expect, books about practicing magic are reference only.”

“May I ask why?” Linus responded.

“Magic’s not for everyone. Being a witch is a lot more about knowledge than it is about power and spells. It requires intelligence, strong self-discipline, and attention to detail to succeed, and things can start to go wrong very quickly if you mess it up. The last time Hilda cast a spell, she almost got thrown into a void as punishment.”

“I see.” Linus replied, shaking slightly. 

“Don’t worry yourself about it. It all turned out fine, eventually.” The Librarian assured him.

“To answer your question,” Linus sidestepped back on topic. “I was looking for supernatural magic. Where I’m from, magic is almost unheard of, let alone practiced, although, saying that… hmm. I’ll get back to you. Where are the books on supernatural magic?”

“I’ll fetch them.” the Librarian replied. 

“Okay.” Linus replied. He sat down at the table and waited. There was nobody there at the moment, not many people want to study this early in the morning. The Librarian soon returned, with two piles of books stacked 6 high. 

“Here you go. If you have any further questions, you can always ask me.” The librarian reminded him.

“Actually, I have one.”

“Go on.” She encouraged.

“I have a friend of mine, his name’s Schroeder. He can play some of Beethoven’s compositions to perfection, even though his piano shouldn’t be capable of playing sharps and flats. Is there magic for that?” Linus asked.

“Most likely. Though to answer your next question, no that does not make him a witch, not yet at least. If he were to take a further interest in magic and build on his skills, then potentially he could, but that should be up to him.” the Librarian answered.

“But he knows magic.” Linus protested.

“And if I taught you a spell, so would you. Magic isn’t an inborn ability. Like any skill, it can be learned by anyone willing to put in the effort.” She explained.

“I see. Thank you, Miss…”

“Kaisa.” She replied, showing him her name badge.

“So I could become a witch?” Linus queried.

“Hypothetically.”

“Marcie probably would be better at it than me though.” Linus drifted off, opening the first book, ‘A Guide to Fauna in and around Trolberg’. This book detailed about a few creatures Linus didn’t know about, such as the Woffs, the Vittra, the Nisse and a small bit about deerfoxes, as well as some more familiar faces, such as eagles, bugs, and wolves.

The book omitted any mention of trolls, but as Linus would discover, that subject would have an entire book for itself, not that its content was entirely edifying, he realised. A lot of the Troll book was eyewitness accounts of fearful encounters with them, which even in Linus’ experiences with them, appeared slightly biased. One of the pages about Edmund “The Trollslayer” Ahlberg appeared to have been thumped angrily. Also of note was that the Trolls were described as ‘having a thorough dislike of bells’.

Linus stared at his new shirt pensively, and thought about asking the Bellkeeper about it when he got home. Moving swiftly onward, Linus opened a small book on the existence of Weather Spirits. As he scanned through, he noticed something familiar in the text.

“Often, upon first learning of a weather spirit, young children like to test them by chanting the song ‘Rain, Rain, Go Away’ or something similar, to which a small few of them will occasionally oblige.”

“Hey! I’ve done this before!” Linus remarked, as Kaisa looked up from her desk. Linus took a look at her and remembered that libraries were supposed to be quiet.

“Sorry.” Linus whispered apologetically, before continuing his reading. The rest of the book was read through rather quickly, and he swiftly moved on to the next book: ‘Ghosts and Marra’. Linus took great interest in the book, and was quite amused at the Marra’s description. Lucy and Violet would have been a perfect fit, if it wasn’t for the green wisp magic. 

The rest of the books were more of the same, and while Linus read those, he skipped over parts he’d already read, and before he knew it, he’d read all of them. By now it was quite a bit busier in the library, and Linus was at a loss as to where the books belonged. Kaisa looked over once again.

“You finished?” she asked.

“Yes. Where do these books go again?” 

“I’ll handle the re-shelving. As I remember, I was the one who took them down.” Kaisa replied.

“Thank you, Miss Kaisa.” Linus said, as he got up and left. Kaisa let out a sigh, and proceeded to re-shelve the books stacked on the table.

By now, it was past noon, and Linus was keen to explore more of Trolberg. So far, he had only seen the Library and Hilda’s house, but obviously, there was more to be found. Linus aimed for the very centre of town, crossing busy main roads and a litany of residential streets he’d never remember before arriving in the town square. Once there, he came across the Central Bell tower, which looked like it was undergoing repairs. He stared at the bell tower as he walked, wondering what purpose it held, until…

*BUMP* he walked into something big and soft.

“You alright there, boy?” the large man looked down upon him. 

“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going, I was looking at the bell.” Linus rushed out an apology.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” the large man remarked, completely ignoring his apology.

“Excuse me?”

“The Belltower, my boy.” 

“It looks broken to me.” Linus responded, staring at the monolithic shroud of scaffolding surrounding the brickwork. 

“Well, it was working brilliantly, so well in fact that the bell fell off its hinges. We’re replacing it with stronger ones so it can be rung as loudly as anyone could desire.” The large man continued. Looking down, he realised Linus was staring at him with a confused expression. “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Erik Ahlberg, Leader of the Trolberg Safety Patrol.” 

“I take it you’re descended from Edmund ‘The Trollslayer’ Ahlberg?” Linus flatly asked.

“Yes, as it happens. Notice the resemblance?” Ahlberg grinned, posing in front of him and tensing his bicep.

“I only know about Edmund from a book I read, so I don’t know what he looks like.” Linus shrugged.

“Oh.” Erik Ahlberg looked disappointed. “Still, I’d look good on camera, don’t you think?” 

“I don’t have a camera. Also why are you standing around trying to impress me? You said you were a leader, shouldn’t you be doing some Safety Patrol work or something?”

“This IS important Safety Patrol work. The Bells keep you safe from Trolls!” Ahlberg emphasised.

“But the trolls are outside the wall, last time I saw them. That’s why there’s bell towers along the wall, right?”

“Yes. But the bellkeeper isn’t there to ring all those bells is he?” Ahlberg rebuked weakly.

“How can he? There’s only one of him, and the wall is humongous, plus he has me to look out for. If he hadn’t been there two nights ago, I’d have probably frozen to death, or become troll food, if I was dumb enough.” Linus responded.

“Did he ring the bell then?”

“No! He just took me in and gave me a place to sleep, and this nice shirt as well.” Linus replied, staring down at the bell design. His stomach rumbled, and Linus was reminded that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, and that he should probably find something to eat.

“I should probably be going now.” Linus backed away from Ahlberg, hoping he wouldn’t try to continue talking to him.

“Let me know if you see any trolls close to the wall!” Ahlberg called out.

“Whatever.” Linus waved dismissively, picking up the pace as he headed further into town. Walking past the Jorts building, he eventually made it to a corner shop, where he bought a packet of Jorts, a sandwich, some water, and whatever other snacks he could afford with the change he had left. With vigour, he began to walk back to the bell tower he currently called home, eating his lunch on the way. For a while, he nearly got lost in the middle of town, but once he got back to the library he regained his bearings and followed the road back.

As the sun lowered behind a cloud, Linus approached the front door, and turned the handle. To his frustration, it was locked. It was still daylight, and Linus assumed the Bellkeeper was still asleep, so he waited outside the door while he thought of something to do.

The sun peered out from the other side of the cloud, so Linus decided to sit under the shade of a tree, and eat the rest of his snacks. The view was rather miserable this side of the wall, and Linus badly wanted to see the other side for himself. He’d rather be atop the wall, watching from above, but he could tell, looking at the brickwork, that he couldn’t climb up it, not bare-handed at least. If only he had a rope…

Linus half-expected a rope to drop out of the tree, as if on cue, but of course, that sort of thing only happened in films, and he was left to wait. A few minutes later, a group of kids walked in front of him. They didn’t look like anyone he had met before, and they all had mischievous looks on their faces, as they walked up to the front door.

“He’s sleeping. He won’t answer.” Linus advised. The group turned to face him.

“Alright, we’ll just knock louder then.” The group’s leader, Trevor, replied. Linus stood up and ran towards him.

“Hey, wait a minute! What do you want from him anyway?”

“Oh, we just wanted a quick laugh, that’s all. No harm in pulling a prank on people.” Trevor answered.

Linus crossed his arms. “Well I’m sure they don’t see it that way.” He huffed.

“Why is his sleep so important to you?” Trevor asked. “Is he like, your dad or something?”

“No, but…” Linus rushed to speak. The words gave up on him as he thought about how the Bellkeeper had acted, but he realised that Trevor and his gang weren’t going to wait. “…Anyway, it’s just rude. Surely there must be something better to do with your time?”

“Well, we’re not wasting it talking to you. Come on guys, let’s go.” Trevor grumbled, leading his posse out and back to town. Linus watched as they walked away, only to hear the sound of the door unlocking.

“Oh, hi d… uh, Jensen.” Linus turned around to see the Bellkeeper was awake. “Did I wake you up?” 

“You didn’t mean to, but yes, you did. Trevor came yesterday too. Right troublemaker he is, and not in the good way.” The Bellkeeper responded. “I take it you want to come in?” 

“Yeah, I wanted to go atop the wall and enjoy the view, but you were asleep, and I didn’t want to disturb you.” Linus explained.

“Well, I’m up now, so you might as well come in.” he held the door open as Linus walked in and headed straight for the stairs.

“Don’t lose sleep on my account.” Linus replied. “You know where I am.” 

“Thanks. Don’t go leaning over the edge, now.” The Bellkeeper casually reminded, before heading back to bed. Linus climbed up the stairs and sat atop the wall. The view outside was gorgeous, the sun casting deep shadows across every tree, and hills and mountains dotting the countryside, adorned with various fauna and flora, as well as the occasional troll rock. 

With every day that passed he felt more at home. It didn’t beat his true home, obviously, but for now it was nice enough. ‘The Bellkeeper was a good enough guardian.’ Linus thought. As he thought about his experiences of the past couple of days, the day transitioned into a beautiful sunset, and Linus’ thinking was interrupted by footsteps approaching.

“Evening.” The Bellkeeper spoke.

“Good evening.” Linus replied. “It’s nice weather today.” Linus made an attempt at small talk.

“I heard you nearly call me dad earlier.” The Bellkeeper added, as he sat down. 

“You did?” Linus asked,

“Yes, and I was wondering, if it doesn’t bother you… Is everything alright at home?”

“Yeah, I’d say so. My sister can be a bit of a pain at times, and my parents can be quite busy, but it’s normal, I guess.”

“Well, that’s fine then, but I’ll always be around if you need to talk about anything, that’s what my dad used to do.” The Bellkeeper replied. There was an airy silence as the last of the sun’s rays hid behind the mountain. 

“You’ve never had any children, have you?” Linus asked sombrely.

“No. kind of hard to think about raising a family when you work while everyone’s sleeping. It’s a bit lonely sometimes, but I’ll manage. This is the path life has chosen for me, and as the only Bellkeeper on the wall, I can’t exactly change it either. If I do that, Ahlberg will try to automate the bells again, and that will only make things worse.” The Bellkeeper replied.

“I met him today. He was trying to show off while grinning about how the central bell tower will be fixed.” Linus told him.

“Tch, He’ll never learn.” The Bellkeeper muttered.

“Why is it you’re the only bellkeeper on the wall?” Linus asked.

“Money, mainly. That and poor management, and that was before Ahlberg came in.”

“Do you think it’ll ever get better?” Linus added.

“Doubt it, unless someone wiser takes charge.” The Bellkeeper answered. “And don’t say I’m wiser. I’m far too disorganised to deal with administrative work. Not that Ahlberg would ever relinquish the position willingly.”

“I don’t know you well enough to say whether you could lead the safety patrol, but you’d be a good dad, I think.” Linus looked up at him, and he could only smile in response. There was a long pause, as The Bellkeeper took a moment to admire the world he lived in. For a few seconds it looked like he was about to cry, but his face refused to break composure.

“You okay?” Linus asked.

“I’m alright. There’s some TV dinner I left down there I can cook in the microwave, unless you want to do it yourself. Did you find what you were looking for today?” The Bellkeeper asked, as Linus got up to leave.

“I learnt a few things, definitely. The librarian was very helpful.” Linus recounted. “See you tomorrow.” And Linus headed back downstairs to eat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading what I've made so far. I appreciate your feedback!


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